Bay Area restaurateurs: We’re keeping tabs on you

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Restaurants track the likes, dislikes and even foibles of their diners, and make seating and service decisions based on that data. Pictured: Chef Ken Woo, left, and Nui Khamtalob, right, preparing dishes at Joshu-Ya Brasserie Thursday Oct. 13, 2011 in Berkeley Calif. (Dan Rosenstrauch/Staff Archives)

Wondering how much information Bay Area restaurants keep on you? Ten local chefs, restaurateurs, maitre’ds and floor managers have shared their tales of notes, debriefings and secret codes below.

They say that keeping tabs on their regulars is part of building a community, of making their customers feel loved and cared for — and ensuring they return, which is no small feat in an area blessed with so many good restaurants and an economy that is not exactly thriving.

In New York there’s a seemingly limitless supply of freshly minted investment bankers and new law school grads eager to dine out every night. But in a smaller city like Berkeley, “there’s only so much pie,” says Jason Kwon, the chef at Berkeley’s Joshu-ya Brasserie.

Kwon came to Berkeley fresh from the rarefied heights of Manhattan cuisine, where Michelin-starred restaurants featured wait staffs that functioned like butlers. The service was impeccable, he said, but distant and unemotional. Kwon brought his New York mentors’ philosophy with him when he took over the newly renovated, but decades-old sushi bar, only to discover that his customers felt “unwelcome,” he said. Kwon and his crew did a 180 in February, and they can attest to the difference. Business has doubled.

It’s a matter of making guests feel recognized as individuals, says Tony Marcell, the general manager of Tyler Florence’s Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco. That’s all anyone wants, to be seen and heard and understood. And “intell,” he says, is what gets you there.

Here’s what Bay Area restaurateurs had to say:

“We use the Open Table online system to keep guest codes and notes. They can also send us info via their account, such as, ‘Hey, it’s my birthday’ or ‘I don’t like onions.’ We usually track favorite wine preferences, feedback received on dishes and notes on the ‘highly demanding’ guests, which tables they like best, which server they preferred. And funny things. We have an Internet dating guy who comes almost every week and he’s kind of a creep, never leaves gratuity and he never picks up the tab.”

“I know more about most of our guests than I know about my own family members. (The staff) plays a game to test each other on ‘What is a guest’s name?’ ‘What does he like to drink?’ and ‘Is she a vegetarian?’ This keeps everybody up on who is who and what they like. The old notes were exclusively what a guest liked to drink and what table they liked. Now the focus has changed and we keep up on food allergies and other dietary restrictions. Knowing someone has a gluten-intolerance is a more important distinction than what their favorite booth is.”

— Martino DiGrande, owner, Palio d’Asti, San Francisco

“Regulars are the bloodline to a restaurant. Whatever we can know about their particular needs, the better.”

“Being a primarily neighborhood restaurant, I want to be aware of everyone’s preferences (and) to provide the best specialized service possible, which is personable and genuine. I use shorthand all the time! We use certain terms such as ‘TC’ meaning ‘Take Care: Tedious Customer.'”

— Leah Lidsky, manager and partner, Luella’s, San Francisco

“We use Open Table to track customers likes, dislikes and nuances. We are very adamant about this type of information to better our guest experience — and certainly give our servers the necessary ammunition. We try hard to keep it professional and fun. All of us have our codes. For example, a guest who tends to stay longer than most reservations, we call a ‘Scout.’ Being in the Bay Area, we call our locals ‘surfers’ or ‘sharks,’ depending on their usual demeanor.”

— John Hanrahan, general manager, LB Steak, San Jose

“We have so many regulars at Poggio that they are considered part of the family. We go through our guest notes before every shift so we can get everything right, every time they dine with us. We are to the point that the staff knows the special request just by saying the guest’s name. As soon as we say, ‘Mr. B’ the staff knows we need to set up his table by the window, with the special chairs as he has back issues, that he likes schiacciata to be ordered right when he arrives, and his favorite wine is the Rosso di Torigiano. We also know that he is coming after the Giant’s game, so we find out firsthand how our home team is doing. “

— Amy Svendberg, managing partner, Poggio, Sausalito

“I always feel that regulars or VIPs are far more impressed when you ask about their son Bobby’s big game or Kathy’s piano recital. This is a tech town and Open Table has thankfully made it very easy to track notes about customers — and our customers know that. So by going a step beyond noting an allergy or likes and dislikes and keeping notes in an iPhone about personal conversations that are shared is more relevant. To many of our customers, we are extensions of their family and they share their lives with us. When I asked a regular recently how her eye doctor appointment went, she welled up because she knew I cared. That’s not creepy. It’s just what we all should do to create a more loyal customer base.”

“MB will only sit on tables 11 or 45, will only have a male server and ALWAYS wants to be presented with the bill. The Ds like to sit and have cocktails for the first hour and then take the next few hours leisurely enjoying the rest of their evening. The Ms come in every Friday after they go to the movies. If they are running late it’s because of the movie. They always come. These are just a few. The other night Kaitlin had a guest that had notes like: ‘Doesn’t like table 53, loves 30 and 33 not 31 and 32.”

“Guest recognition is a huge part of restaurant operations, especially in the high profile restaurants I’ve run over the past 15 years in San Francisco — Wayfare Tavern, Aqua, etc. It’s not just about recognizing who a person is, though. It’s more about seeing and hearing them as unique individuals with preferences, personal lives, allergies, etc.

“We’re always looking for information at every position and level. A great reservationist is a true talent — and we covet our talent in this area. We try to listen to the guests’ conversation while seating them, and also while they are getting situated at their table. Our servers and hostess are trained to ask themselves key questions when they meet and greet every party. Why are they with us tonight? How do they know each other? What is their mood?

“We also started a look book with faces and descriptions of our regulars — over five visits — our investors, close friends, celebrities, social movers/shakers, the hard to please, those with a past problem to be aware of, etc. It’s a great tool. We have one guest noted ‘don’t seat up stairs, he will throw a tantrum and stomp up and down.’ We save everybody a lot of stress, including the guests that are at surrounding tables, by seating him downstairs.

“During ‘line up’ — our half-hour meeting before each shift — we relay all the notes acquired about our VIPs. Then when the table is seated, the server gets a chit on number of visits, allergies, celebrations information, regular likes/dislikes, career and personal information.

“I believe that’s what any person wants or asks for in life: to be seen and heard and recognized. How we deliver it is where the magic starts.”

“I’m a California chef from New York. My favorite restaurants included Per Se, Eleven Madison Park and Le Bernardin, where the level of service and food is exceptional. The service is unparalleled — professional, unemotional, distant, like a butler. That’s what I was used to. When I came to take over the restaurant in Berkeley, I thought that was all you needed, but people said, ‘I don’t feel welcome anymore.’

“Here, people want to be treated more in a friendly, welcoming way, a family-esque manner. The food is the most important variable, but every guest is super important, so we try to treat every guest like a Michelin guest but also a friend. We try to adopt the best policies that make people feel the best, and usually it’s the places where you know somebody, you trust them, you trust the food, the relationship is there. Most restaurants in the world are community-based. I have to be a part of the community.

“We strike up conversations. I’m in the kitchen and every 10 minutes, the manager comes up and says, ‘Patrick would like to say hello,’ or ‘Jenna’s here.’ Honestly, we’ve gone out with customers — my chefs have gone hiking!”